And at 28, Rooney could be burned-out completely before the next World Cup comes around, so it’s now or never.

Scholes said: “Wayne always wants to be playing ­football. He’s almost like a school kid. You can’t stop him from training. It’s quite easy to get yourself out of training with ‘fitness’ problems. Wayne is different. He’s old school. He loves being a footballer.

“His best attributes are his energy, desire, a will to win which is unbelievable – but, above all, his goals. He wants all the responsibility to score.

“He’ll try to play left-back, right-back. ­Sometimes he does that too much instead of saving his energy for what his teams need – the ball in the net.

“So he needs to use his energy more effectively now as he’s a player who likes to be up front on his own and I don’t think he’s great with ­partnerships.” An issue for Louis van Gaal and Roy Hodgson to conjure with.

And Scholes added: “Wayne was in the Everton team at 16. He’s played at Euro 2004, two World Cups, Premier League, and ­Champions League every year at United. There’s a chance he’s worn out.

“Wayne’s peak may have been a lot younger than what we’d expect traditionally. Age 28 or 29 has been the normal ‘peak’. With Wayne, it could have been when he scored 27 league goals in 2011-2012 at 26.

“With Van Gaal at United it might come to a straight choice between Wayne and Robin van Persie.

“Wayne might be a player who’d retire come 31 or 32, given the amount of football he’s played. Ryan Giggs has been on the go for ages, but he adjusted his position. Can Wayne do the same?

“I don’t think Wayne will be able to play centre-forward until he’s 34 or 35. He could play centre midfield, possibly, into his mid-thirties.

“He’s got all the ability to take over my old position at United. He has played some games there, but has never gone on an uninterrupted run. Whether he has the discipline to do it, right now I’m not sure.”

Had Rooney been aware of Scholes’ comments, he might have bridled, as he did with a terse response to being reminded of Sir Alex Ferguson’s barb that he ­struggled to return to top form after being out with a knock: “Well, I’m sure he would say that!”

Rooney, too, took the opportunity to press his case to be Van Gaal’s Old Trafford skipper. He added: “Of course I feel I need to prove ­something to the new manager at this World Cup.

“When a new manager comes in, you always feel you have to prove yourself over again. You don’t know what ideas he has got or how he wants to play.

“I’m hoping it might be like when I was at Everton. We hadn’t done very well and then I went to Euro 2004 and kicked on and enjoyed the games.

“This season at United has been stop-start, so I’m hoping we can get that enjoyment of winning games back in the World Cup. I’m hoping that can happen this summer.

“I’ve captained United a few times and to get it on a full-time basis would be great. I feel I’m ready for it and I’ll respect the decision he makes.”